Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Scoping Hearings for Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment

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The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold two scoping webinars to gather public input on a management action to consider potential modifications to the allocations of the black sea bass commercial quota among the states of Maine through North Carolina. Scoping webinars will be held on Monday, May 11 and Thursday, May 14, 2020. Written comments will be accepted through May 31, 2020.

The Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) jointly manage black sea bass from Maine through Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The Council develops regulations for federal waters while the Commission develops regulations for state waters. The black sea bass commercial quota is managed on a coastwide basis in federal waters. In state waters, it is allocated among the states of Maine through North Carolina using percentages loosely based on historical landings from 1980-2001. Under the current allocations, 67% of the annual coastwide quota is divided among the states of New Jersey through North Carolina, and 33% is divided among the states of New York through Maine.

The most recent black sea bass stock assessment shows that spawning stock biomass in the northern region (approximately Maine through Hudson Canyon) has greatly increased since 2002, when the state allocations were first approved, while the amount of biomass in the southern region (approximately south of Hudson Canyon through Cape Hatteras) has not experienced significant change. Some northern region states have noted that changes in availability and distribution have made it increasingly difficult to constrain landings to their current allocations. The Council and Commission initiated this action to consider whether changes should be made to the state allocations and whether these allocations should be managed under both the Commission and Council Fishery Management Plans (FMPs), rather than only under the Commission’s FMP as is currently the case.

The scoping period is an important opportunity for members of the public to provide input on the range of management alternatives that should be considered in this action. Scoping comments will help the Council and Commission ensure that public concerns are addressed in a thorough and appropriate manner. An additional public comment period will be held later in 2020 to solicit input on preferred alternatives.

Hearing Schedule

Both scoping hearings will be conducted by webinar.  

1. Monday May 11, 2020, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm EDT

2. Thursday May 14, 2020, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm EDT

To join the webinar, go to http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/bsb-com-allocation-scoping/. Telephone connection instructions appear upon connecting, or you can call 800-832-0736 and enter room number 5068871#. You must call by phone to ask questions and provide comments.

Written Comments

In addition to providing comments at either of the scoping hearing webinars, you may submit written comments by 11:59 pm EDT on Sunday May 31, 2020. Written comments may be sent by any of the following methods:

1. ONLINE: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/bsb-com-allocation-amendment

2. EMAIL: jbeaty@mafmc.org

3. MAIL: Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director
   Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
   800 North State Street, Suite 201
   Dover, DE 19901

4. FAX: 302.674.5399

Please include "Black Sea Bass Commercial Allocation Amendment" in the subject line if using email or fax, or on the outside of the envelope if submitting written comments. All comments, regardless of submission method, will be shared with the Commission and Council and will be made publicly available on their respective websites. It is not necessary to submit the same comments to both the Council and Commission or through multiple channels.

Learn More

For additional information and updates on development of this action, please visit http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bsb-commercial-allocation. The scoping document contains background information and details on potential management approaches. A recorded scoping presentation can be viewed here.

Contact

Please direct any questions about the amendment to Julia Beaty, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, at jbeaty@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5250.

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New Paper Synthesizes Current Knowledge on the Role of Sand Lances in the Northwest Atlantic ecosystem

A paper published this week in the journal Fish and Fisheries synthesizes current knowledge on the role of sand lances in the Northwest Atlantic ecosystem and describes implications for conservation and management. Sand lances are sometimes referred to as “quintessential forage fish” and are important prey for a variety of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Sand lances are among the more than 50 previously unmanaged taxa included in the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment. This amendment implemented the first commercial possession limit for sand lance, and many other previously unmanaged forage species, in Mid-Atlantic federal waters. The paper, linked below, highlights the work of the Mid-Atlantic Council to protect these important species.

• Full article: The role of sand lances (Ammodytes sp.) in the Northwest Atlantic Ecosystem: A synthesis of current knowledge with implications for conservation and management

• Press release from the University of Massachusetts Amherst: At the Base of the Food Chain, a Small Fish Should Command Greater Notice, Researchers Say

March 10-11 SSC Meeting Materials Now Available

Click here for details.

Council Approves Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved the Excessive Shares Amendment to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP) during its meeting last week in Annapolis, Maryland. The Excessive Shares Amendment was developed to address the "excessive share" provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The amendment also considered revisions to the multi-year specification setting process and modifications to the FMP goals and objectives. Below are summaries of the issues addressed and the Council’s preferred alternatives.

Excessive Shares Cap and Review Timeframe

National Standard 4 (NS4) of the MSA mandates that allocations of fishing privileges must be "carried out in such manner that no particular individual, corporation, or other entity acquires an excessive share of such privileges." To be consistent with NS4, the Council was required to develop measures which specifically define what constitutes an excessive share in the surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) program.

The Council considered a wide range of excessive shares cap alternatives, including options that would place limits on quota share ownership and options that would limit annual allocations based on both owned quota share and possession of cage tags. The Council ultimately selected an alternative which would implement a quota share ownership cap of 35% for surfclams and 40% for quahogs and an annual allocation cap (based on the possession of cage tags) of 65% for surfclams and 70% for ocean quahogs. The Council’s preferred alternative represents a compromise on the part of the fishing industry and will allow for some additional efficiencies in the fisheries (through further consolidation). This option will allow a reasonable number of entities to exist if fully consolidated and will bring the FMP in to compliance with NS4. The Council specified that the excessive shares measures should be reviewed at least every 10 years or as needed.

Multi-Year Management Measures

Currently, surfclam and ocean quahog management specifications are set for up to 3 years. Through this amendment, the Council voted to allow specifications to be set for the maximum number of years consistent with the stock assessment schedule. As a result, based on the current stock assessment schedule, surfclam specifications would be set for four years and ocean quahog for six years.

FMP Goals and Objectives

Finally, the Council adopted a suite of revised goals and objectives recommended by the Fishery Management Action Team that better reflect the Council's long-term intent for these fisheries. These goals and objectives focus on sustainability, a simple and efficient management regime, managing for stability, management that is flexible and adaptive to changes, and the promotion of science and research.

Additional information and background documents related to this amendment are available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/scoq-excessive-shares-amendment.

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December 2019 Council Meeting Report

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met December 9-12, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. During this meeting, the Council:

• Approved the use of regional conservation equivalency for the recreational summer flounder fishery in 2020*

• Approved status quo recreational scup and black sea bass management measures in state and federal waters in 2020*

• Approved recreational bluefish measures for 2020 consisting of a 3-fish bag limit for the shore and private mode and a 5-fish bag limit for the for-hire modes*

• Approved a scoping document for the joint Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/ Recreational Allocation Amendment*

• Agreed to develop the Black Sea Bass Commercial Allocation Addendum/Amendment as a joint action with the ASMFC*

• Approved a supplemental scoping document for the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment*

• Approved the Commercial eVTR Omnibus Framework with a 48-hour reporting deadline

• Selected a preferred alternative and approved the Omnibus Risk Policy Framework

• Selected preferred alternatives and approved the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

• Approved the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan

• Approved the Comprehensive Five Year (2020-2024) Research Priorities document

• Finalized the EAFM summer flounder conceptual model and agreed to move forward with development of a summer flounder recreational discards management strategy evaluation

• Identified four areas of expertise needed on the Scientific and Statistical Committee

• Reviewed and approved a list of actions and deliverables for the 2020 Implementation Plan

• Received an update on habitat activities

Read the full December 2019 Council Meeting Report for details on these discussions and decisions.

* Items denoted with an asterisk (*) were undertaken during joint meetings with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board.

Council and Commission Recommend Recreational Bluefish Management Measures for 2020

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Last week, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) approved new recreational fishing regulations for the 2020 Atlantic bluefish fishery from Florida to Maine. These measures, which include a 3-fish bag limit for private anglers and shore-based fishermen and a 5-fish bag limit for for-hire fishermen, represent a substantial reduction compared to the federal 15-fish bag limit that has been in place since 2000. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters (0-3 miles from shore), while the Council will forward its recommendation for federal waters (3 – 200 miles from shore) to the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval.

The most recent operational assessment of the Atlantic bluefish stock concluded that the stock is overfished but not experiencing overfishing. During their joint meeting in October, the Council and Commission adopted a recreational harvest limit (RHL) of 9.48 million pounds for 2020 and 2021, which is an 18% decrease compared to the 2019 RHL. Using the current regulations, the recreational sector is projected to land 13.27 million pounds, which will exceed the RHL by 28.56%. Therefore, the Council and Commission met last week to approve new recreational management measures to constrain harvest to the reduced RHL.

The Council and Commission considered several combinations of bag limits and minimum size limits, including options to set a single set of regulations for all fishing modes or different regulations for shore/private modes and the for-hire mode. Although the Council’s Bluefish Monitoring Committee recommended a coastwide 3-fish bag limit, the majority of comments from the public and Bluefish Advisory Panel (AP) members expressed opposition to this option, noting that it would have severe economic consequences for the for-hire sector, which was only responsible for 3.6% of coastwide landings from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, AP members and the public emphasized that these proposed reductions come at a challenging time for for-hire stakeholders as they are also facing new restrictions on striped bass, black sea bass, summer flounder, and scup.

After an extensive discussion and thorough consideration of public comments, the Council recommended and Commission approved a 3-fish bag limit for private and shore modes and a 5-fish bag limit for the for-hire mode. No restrictions were made to minimum fish size or seasons.

"For many years, bluefish has been one of our most abundant recreational fisheries," said Council Chairman and ASMFC Board member Mike Luisi. "The Council and Commission are fully committed to the effective conservation and management of this stock, but we also recognize that a sudden change in regulations could have severe socioeconomic consequences for some stakeholders. After evaluating a wide range of options and considering numerous comments from the public, we feel that this approach is the most fair and effective way to achieve the necessary reduction in harvest next year."

The Council and Commission are continuing to work on development of a rebuilding plan as part of the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment. Additional information and updates on this action are available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.

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Nov. 20 Webinar: Commercial eVTR Options in the Greater Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) are considering an action that will require commercial fishing operators holding federal permits for species managed by either Council to report their Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) electronically rather than on paper. Fisheries covered include:

• Northeast Multispecies (groundfish)

• Monkfish

• Atlantic Herring

• Skates

• Small-Mesh Multispecies (whiting/hake)

• Red Crab

• Sea Scallop

• Atlantic Bluefish

• Black Sea Bass

• Scup

• Summer Flounder

• Spiny Dogfish

• Tilefish

• Squid

• Atlantic Mackerel

• Butterfish

• Surfclam

• Ocean Quahog

Electronic Vessel Trip Reports (eVTRs) allow direct entry of data by the vessel operator using an electronic-based system (computer, smart phone, tablet). They have been an option for some fisheries since 2011 and all fisheries since 2013. These eVTRs have been required for all of the Mid-Atlantic and some of the New England for-hire fleet (due to also holding MAFMC permits) since 2018.

November 20 Commercial eVTR Webinar

In preparation for a possible transition to required electronic reporting for the commercial fleet, the MAFMC will host a webinar to review eVTR options, initial steps necessary for commercial operators to begin reporting electronically, and a demonstration of two of the most popular electronic reporting applications (with limited time for questions).

• Date/Time: Wednesday, November 20, 2019, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., EST

• To Connect: Via webinar http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr_publicmtg/ with a telephone audio connection (provided when connecting).

• Audio only access: Conference phone number: 1–800–832–0736; Room Number: 5765379.

• Note: The webinar will be recorded and made available on the MAFMC website (www.mafmc.org) for later viewing.

More Information

For additional information on the proposed action and resources for commercial fishing operators, or to sign up for notices specific to the eVTR action, visit http://www.mafmc.org/actions/commercial-evtr-framework.